Harry Potter, Better and Different: The beginning
by Concealed Convict-Act 2
Summary: A couple changes in time can lead to a very different life and very different people, but will it be for the good or for the bad? Follow Harry as he grows up dealing with many challenges that will put his character and judgement to the test.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Universe. Everything you recognize belongs to J.K Rowling._

July 7, 1989

"Little Master! I's need to help Little Master!"

Blake sighed. This had been going on for hours. He could not calm Zoey down after she had woken up. You see, Zoey was a house elf, bonded to James Potter and his offspring, on the very day he was born, as it was a tradition in the Potter family to have their own house-elf. She was very dependent on his power, which kept her alive and ready to serve him, so when he and his Wife, Lily Potter, were murdered on Halloween in 1981 by Lord Voldemort she sunk into depression and slowly started to lose power, barely able to do anything besides cry and drink butter beer, which was alright considering her mood. The fourth day after their deaths she passed out, not having enough magic to keep going. After spending 7 ½ years in Acoma she had finally woken up. The reason? Young Harry James Potter was sending out bursts of magic.

"Zoey…" began Blake.

"I need to find Little Master!" she cut him off.

This was going to be a long night.

Meanwhile… 

"-Won't you take me to Funky town! Funky town! Won't you take me to-"

To put it lightly Harry was having a blast. His relatives left yesterday night to go visit Vernon's (his aunt Petunia's husband and unfortunately his uncle) sister Marge for a month with their whale of a son (his cousin) Dudley.

**Flashback**

It was a typical summer afternoon at the Dursley home. Dudley watching TV while eating a bowl of greasy crisps with bits of popcorn, and his Aunt Petunia bragging about her extremely normal house loudly by the window in hopes someone might ''over-hear" her. Around this time Harry was dusting the house and heard her say something about "her beautiful garden".

Her garden. What a laugh. He was the one tending to it every other day. The only unusual thing was Uncle Vernon being home. Harry still did not know why Vernon was at the house when he usually would be at work, but he did not question it.

Rule #1 at the Dursley's. Don't ask questions. He learned that at the tender age of 5 when a frying pan almost hit his head when he asked if they believed in magic.

"Do not ever speak of the M word in this house, boy! Into the cupboard! No supper!" his Aunt Petunia had shrilled.

They often took away meals as punishment so even then it was nothing new, but it was always confusing. What had he done that made them so spiteful towards him?

"**Boy!** Get to making lunch! Can't let my poor son and husband starve because of your worthless behind!"

Harry came out of his daze with a start. His aunt stalked toward him.

"Are you done dusting the attic?" she demanded.

"Nearly," said Harry.

"You will finish it later. Right now, like I previously said, I want you to make lunch. This time add bacon and don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect for my little Dudders."

Harry snorted. There was nothing little about him.

She turned around. "What did you say?" his Aunt snapped.

"Nothing..." Harry said putting the dusting pan down, making his way down stairs, but then thought to go to the bathroom first.

After reliving himself and washing up he went downstairs, into the kitchen and put bacon on the stove while getting the ground beef ready to make burgers.

"Why isn't lunch ready yet? Get your lazy-ass moving and get our food cooked!" screamed Vernon.

"Yes, sir." Was Harry's only response. No use in arguing with the meathead.

He brought out drinks for all of them and then went back to cooking. After flipping the burgers one more time, he took them off the pan and onto plates. Putting buns on the plates he then put the patties down then added lots of extra cheese, ketchup, extra mustard, pickles, and after thinking about it, lettuce to all 11 extra thick patties. Four for Dudley and four for Vernon, leaving one for him and one more for each of them in case, scratch that, WHEN they were still hungry.

"BOY!" he heard Vernon shout. He was surprised he heard it over Dudley's whining.

Thinking he should get going he hurried and bought them their burgers with a side of bacon and crisps.

"Finally," Dudley said before grabbing at both plates and cramming as much food as he could in both his hands. It literally made Harry nauseas when Vernon did the same. He wanted to leave as soon as possible so he said a quick reminder that there were more burgers in the kitchen, and told Petunia he would get her salad made right now. The only signs that showed they heard him were two grunts and a sniff. He then rushed out and went back to preparing food.

Aunt Petunia had started not eating again and even though Harry might not like her, he was genuinely worried so he tried to get her to eat small light things instead of nothing at all. He got a weird look from her the first couple times but after a while she didn't even think twice about it, which was a relief for Harry.

Taking a breath after he finished his second burger Vernon said slowly,

"Boy, we're leaving tomorrow morning to Marge's and won't return for a month. We offered your services to Mrs. Willow to do whatever she needs you to do for a pound a day. Better not screw this up or..."

Harry tuned out the threats. Mrs. Willow? The mid-aged teacher 12 blocks from Number 4? He sighed and went back to making his Aunt's salad and nodded to show he heard. Apparently it was good enough for Vernon because he went directly back to eating. Harry was also hungry so he took some bites out of his fruit cup which contained slices of banana, peaches, & grapes. Harry was still hungry so he took small bites out of his medium sized burger. When the salad he was making his aunt looked good enough, he was already finished eating and retired to his room after giving her the salad.

While doing this he was internally dancing with joy at the thought of them leaving him alone for a month and once he went was inside his room he grinned so hard it was threatening to split his face. It was going to be a good summer.

**End of Flashback**

He stopped singing, thinking back to when he got his ''new'' room.

Last year, around when school started, he had turned on the TV and put it on a channel talking about Social Services so when Vernon and Petunia came in the reporters were talking about charges and victims suing their abusers.

As soon as they heard that they demanded he move to the smallest bedroom, otherwise known as Dudley's toy room. Hearing that, Dudley pitched a fit. Though Harry was internally laughing like a hyena, on the outside he played the part of being clueless, which gave Vernon a slight leverage and demanded he clean out the bedroom and make a toy box for Dudley before he moved in. Those demands made Dudley perk up immediately.

Whether it was the thought of getting something new, or the fact that Harry had to make it for him, he still didn't know, but he highly expected it was a bit of both.

Harry smirked. While he was moving Dudley's junk around he found pencils, paintbrushes, loads of paper, a map, and books. When everything was moved out he had repaired Dudley's desk, now **his **desk, and painted theroom with the left over dark blue and red paint, so after he added the bookshelf and posters he had also made, he could now proudly say that was his room.

Harry was about to start doing a victory dance when all of a sudden he heard a

**THUMP!**

He quickly made his way to the door, where he saw two figures.

One, a male around 5 ft with blue hair and pitch black eyes. The other..creature next to him was around 3 ft tall with large violet eyes, and looked to be bouncing and crying?

"Hello Young Harry," the male said.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. If you see something you recognize it belongs to J.K Rowling._

* * *

Harry continued staring at the man until he came back to his senses.

"Hello," he said back slowly, "Who are you and why are you in my house?"

The man hesitated, and that was the only sign Harry needed. Not having enough time to look through the living room, Harry just threw the closest thing to him, which happened to be a lamp, at the man.

It didn't even faze him. In fact, the man looked bored.

"Harry," the man began again but Harry didn't let him finish.

"Get out of my house!" Harry screamed and continued throwing anything he could get his hands on at the stranger.

The man frowned but continued to dodge the objects being thrown at him. It soon grew tiring so the man raced forward and grabbed Harry's hands.

"That is enough," he said, but then crouched down in pain as Harry kicked him in the "forbidden zone".

"Don't touch me, creep!" Harry hissed.

Zoey was still just standing there, not knowing what to do until an idea came to her.

**SNAP!**

Harry and Blake were both binded with ropes.

As an afterthought she also cleaned and repaired the room. While she was doing this Harry was watching her with awe. How is this creature doing this? Harry wondered.

Seeing the amazement on Harry's face, the man smiled and tried to stand up but then remembered that he could not move.

"Zoey, please let us go," the man requested.

Zoey looked at both of them and after a moment nodded,

"But you's need to be behave" she added.

**SNAP! **

The ropes were suddenly gone, leaving Harry even more confused and a little dazed.

The man stood up. "Thank you. Now Harry, my name is Blake and this is,"

"And I's Zoey, Little Master! I's Zoey!" Zoey cut him off.

Despite himself Blake chuckled at the expression on Harry's face.

Harry heard this and after shooting Blake a glare he looked at Zoey curiously.

"Why do you call me Little Master? And I'm sorry if this offends you but what exactly are you?" he questioned politely.

Blake then grew serious. "Let me explain things to him, okay?" he said. After seeing Zoey nod he sat down and gestured for Harry to do the same. After a few minutes of looking for any ulterior motives, Harry also sat down, albeit a bit apprehensively.

Knowing Harry wasn't going to relax any time soon he started explaining, "Zoey here is a house elf." Another confused glare from Harry told him he would also have to explain what a house elf was.

"Well, to put it lightly a house elf is a magical creature which is completely devoted and loyal to the one who is their master, which in this case, is you."

"Magical? There is no such thing as magic," Harry scoffed half-heartily. He knew he did weird things. Things that could never be explained, no matter how hard he tried.

"Ah, but there is; it is all around us. And you Harry, are a very powerful mage. If only you would quit the stubbornness and let me explain," Blake muttered.

Harry was confused and a bit angry. First this man breaks into the house, gets Harry binded, and **now** is telling him he's stubborn? Pushing down his anger he asked in a clipped tone,"Don't you mean "wizard?"

"No child, mage, but I will get into that later. Now Harry, do you remember how you got your scar?"

* * *

"So my parents didn't die in a car crash?" Harry asked.

"Heavens no! What a disgrace to their names!" Blake said clearly mad.

Taking a few calming breaths, Blake continued softly, "They were the most honorable people, Harry. I am lucky to have ever been in their presence. They were a very sad and tragic loss."

Silence engulfed them.

Harry couldn't believe it. His parents were wizards! He knew his parents couldn't be nearly as bad like his relatives always say they are, and now he could prove it! He frowned. He probably shouldn't tell his relatives he knew. This way they would underestimate him, which could give Harry a slight advantage.

While Harry was thinking, Blake took out a package. "Harry," he said. "This was your mother's journal. She would've wanted you to have it." He put it on the table when Harry didn't respond.

Blake stood up. "I have over stayed my welcome so I will be going. If you need help or want to talk, call for Zoey. Goodbye Harry Potter." And they left with a snap.

Harry sighed, very confused. Deciding sleep would help process things easier he brushed his teeth and retired for the night.

Hoping tomorrow would bring better understanding, Harry closed his eyes.

* * *

Author's Note: I decided to gloss over James & Lily Potters death because I'm sure readers have already read it many times and would like to get more of the story.

Review, and tell me what you think!

~S.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you Elfwyn for helping me see the errors, and I hope it is less confusing.

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, anything you recognize belongs to J.K Rowling._

_

* * *

_11: 15 AM.

Harry growled. He had been trying to sort out his thoughts about his...encounter with "Blake'' and "Zoey'' since he woke up, around 6 am, but he was not having any luck.

The more Harry thought about last night the more confusing, not to mention irritating it was becoming. It just didn't make sense! Harry thought.

How did Harry know the man wasn't lying? Why did he believe him like a naïve little prat? Something wasn't right, but he could not put his finger on it. Harry then decided to make a list of things he did know hoping it would help him at least clear his mind a bit.

**What happened/What I do know**

**Hears crash, runs to living room, sees a man and a small creature by door**

**Living room destroyed after fighting with said man, gets tied up with ropes **

**Creature removes binds, then repairs room. **

**Man introduces himself as Blake, and the creature as Zoey.**

**Talks about magic and Harry supposedly being a "mage''**

**Harry becomes at ease from some unknown reason, Blake soon talks about how his (Harry's) parents died, and gives Harry Lily Potter's, his mother's, journal.**

**Leaves with creature suddenly with crack**

Chewing on his pencil, Harry knew that wasn't quite satisfying so he continued, writing down the questions at the very top of his head; the ones that more or less bothered him.

**Questions**

**Who is Blake?**

**Why am I Zoey's supposed master?**

**How did they get into the house without the alarms going off? **

**What is a mage and how are they different from wizards?**

**Why is Blake so certain about this wizarding world, and how did he know Harry's parents?**

**Why was he so certain Blake was telling the truth?**

**Why/How did he get Harry's mother's journal?**

**How did Blake and Zoey leave so suddenly?**

Harry threw his pencil at the wall. Writing it down did not help at all! It only gave him a bigger headache than he had when he started!

A few more minutes of thinking did nothing to console him, so Harry decided to go out.

After putting on his watch then his socks and shoes he left for Mrs. Willow's house to hopefully do something that would surely distract him from the situation.

OoOoOo

"Oh, hello dear" Mrs. Willow greeted a slightly red and out of breath Harry, for he just ran 12 blocks to get here.

"My Uncle offered my services?" Harry half asked, half stated while walking inside after a gesture from the mid-aged woman.

"Yes, yes I remember" she said fixing Harry a cup of tea that he politely takes.

Taking a few sips he asks, "What would you like me to do first?"

"I have so many things that need to be done, but I think you should do the front lawn. I have to say, it looks a little worse for wear." This was not a surprise for Harry; the yard looked like a forest. He was suddenly glad he brought his tools.

"Do you have a mower I could possibly use?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Let me go get it," And with that she walked away.

Waiting for her, he decided to look around. The room looked like a very normal family room with vases, a coffee table, a couch with a few reclining chairs near it, and of course, family photos. One photo stood out to him though. It was a picture of two very happy children laughing in a park. Looking at that, Harry felt slightly jealous but swatted it away and looked back at the picture.

In the photo there was a girl, and one boy. The girl looked to be a little younger than Harry; having her blonde hair in pig-tails showing off her very light blue eyes that stood out against her tan features. The boy next to her looked almost identical as the girl but at the same time, the very opposite. He looked around the same age as Harry, though maybe a little bit older. He had black hair with light chocolate eyes, and he looked as if he had braces but you couldn't quite tell with the lighting. Like the girl next to him, his light eyes stood out, but instead of on tan skin, it stood out against his white porcelain skin. So wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't hear Mrs. Willow come back, and jumped when he heard her voice.

"Cute, aren't they? The boy is my nephew, Aiden, who is turning 10 on September 23rd, and the girl Stacy, my niece, who just turned 8 back in May," Mrs. Willow stated wistfully. "They live with me now. Their mother is in rehab and the father left a long time ago"

Harry turned to her and took in her appearance. She had blond hair and topaz eyes, with a slightly crooked nose, but you could only tell if you were very close to her. At the moment she was wearing a blue and red striped t shirt with brown pants. _She has an odd fashion sense but you can definitely tell she and Stacy are related_, Harry thought.

"I'm sorry," Harry said awkwardly, ashamed that he felt _jealous_ of them. _It must be tough for them_, Harry thought.

"It's fine, dear. We just can't dwell on it. Now here is the manual mower, it's a little old but still workable," Mrs. Willow said, giving the mower a look over.

Harry sighed softly."Thank you, Mrs. Willow. I will get going now" That being said, Harry walked out to the front lawn, and started working.

OoOoOo

"Wow," Harry puffed out. He had finally finished after 2 and a half hours of mowing; only taking a break twice. The first was just 15 minutes after he just started, when Mrs. Willow came out to give him some sunscreen. The second time was when she brought out a drink and a few sandwiches.

"Can't let you faint on my watch," She had said jokingly.

Either way, Harry was very grateful, but also very tired. He couldn't want to go back to Number 4. Knocking on the front door to tell Mrs. Willow he was done, Harry was surprised when someone else answered. A few minutes later you could easily tell all thoughts of leaving had left Harry's head.

* * *

"Hi. Are you Harry?" The girl at the door asked but seemed fairly certain he was.

At first Harry didn't recognize who answered the door, but then something clicked. She was the girl from the picture.

"Uh...Yes. Yes I am," Harry stated.

The girl giggled, "I'm Stacy; My aunty mentioned you. Why don't you come in? You look like the devil himself ran over you. Here, let me take that"

Harry looked himself over. He was very red and you could tell he was sweating. He was also obviously skinny, but not horribly so. Wearing Dudley's clothes made him look like he was a bag of skin and bones though. It was embarrassing.

"Um...its okay, I just need-" Not taking no for an answer, Stacy dragged him in, setting aside the mower, while pushing him into a chair.

"Ha-ha its fine! Stop being so tense! It's kind of boring around here and you seem interesting." Stacy said. Then all of a sudden she shouted out, "AIDEN, WILL YOU GO GET HARRY A DRINK?" She was so loud that Harry had to put his hands over his ears.

That's when Harry noticed the boy coming down the stairs. His face was blank, but Harry saw his twinkling eyes which showed he was obviously amused by Harry's actions. The boy, Aiden, was wearing a simple pair of black shorts and a nice beige shirt. Harry,feeling a little self conscious about his clothes, started playing with the edge of Dudley's hand-me-down.

"No need to shout, Stacy. I'm right here," Aiden said going in the kitchen to fetch Harry a glass of water.

"Sorry," Stacy said sheepishly.

Harry smiled slightly and said a thank you when Aiden gave him the water.

"So how long have you lived here?" Stacy asked.

After taking a few sips of water Harry said, "Since I was about one and a half. Had to move in with aunt."

"Oh. How come?" Stacy asked. Aiden, who was watching him curiously, looked like he wanted to know too.

"Well…um…" Harry started saying uncomfortably.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell us. It's really not that important," Aiden cut in.

"No, it's fine. I lived here since I was one because well, um...mymumanddaddied," Harry mumbled.

"What?" Stacy asked. He had said it too quick for her to understand.

"Um..My mum and dad died when I was a baby, so I have to live with my closest relatives. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and their son Dudley," Harry said louder, also adding a bit more detail.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry!" Stacy apologized profusely.

Aiden stopped what he was doing and looked at Harry with sad eyes. He opened his mouth, to apologize no doubt, when Stacy blurted out, "How did they die?" tactlessly.

"Stacy!" Aiden admonished, "I'm sorry for Stacy's behavior," he said to Harry.

Harry ran a hand through his hair; he didn't want to talk about this. He was still reeling from what "Blake" had said about his parents' death. "It's okay," Harry said a bit forced. "They were murdered," Harry added not wanting to elaborate anymore than he had to. Aiden caught on, Harry assumed, because he switched subjects and started to try to make some small talk with Harry.

"So do you play any sports?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah, whenever I can actually," Harry said honestly. Whenever his relatives were out of town or away on business he did whatever he could; it relived stress and it was actually quite fun, depending on what he was doing.

"My favorites are swimming, Frisbee, and basketball. Sometimes I use Dudley's starter boxing set. I don't have a chance to play much, in anything, though." Harry continued.

Aiden was listening intently and lit up, but again when he was about to say something, Stacy jumped in. "Really? Well Aiden's enrolled in the activity center at Burns Road this summer, and they, like, do something different every two weeks. I bet I could get my aunt to enroll you too. Want me to ask her? We could like give you rides and stuff!" Stacy rambled on.

Harry looked at Aiden, "Do you think she might consider it? Would you mind?" he asked, trying not to get too excited because there was a chance they would say no.

"It would be fine, Harry. I would enjoy the company," Aiden said quietly with a slight smile.

"Yeah! That would be awesome for Aiden, he doesn't have any friends at all expect that kid Madison Thomas with the brother who's like obsessed with football!" Stacy said.

With each word Stacy said, Aiden was more and more embarrassed.

"Stacy, that's more than a bit mean. I don't have many friends either," Harry pointed out, not wanting Aiden to feel bad. It amazed him that Aiden's own sister would say those things right in front of him.

"Whatever," She said, waving her hand dismissively.

Aiden sighed and shook his head, saying a short goodbye before leaving.

Harry frowned and looked at the time. 5: 15 pm. Thinking he had a good excuse, Harry got up. "I have to go also. It was nice to meet you both." He said.

"I wished you could stay longer," Stacy said batting her eyelashes. Harry was confused; wasn't she eight? _Don't girls learn this stuff when they're older?_ Harry wondered.

"I wish I could, but I have to go have dinner. Have a good evening," Harry said, and with that he left.

"Bye Harry! See you tomorrow! I'll talk to my aunty!" Harry heard over his shoulder, but didn't look back, and soon started sprinting back to Number 4.

OoOoOo

Harry had a lot to think about that night; Sports, Stacy, Mrs. Willow, Aiden, and not to mention the issue with Blake& Zoey. With all that he couldn't sleep a wink, so after tossing and turning for what it seemed like hours, he pulled out the books he found on the street, 3 volumes of _Hikaru No Go_by Yumi Hotta, and _BeoWulf_ By "Anonymous". Harry looked down at the books. Beowulf seemed to be a book with many different things, like selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, plays, paintings, and etc, so it probably wouldn't help Harry go to sleep. It would more liking keep him up so Harry chose _Hikaru No Go_, and settled in bed.

You could later find him asleep; the book laying on stomach, moving up and down as he breathes softly; dreaming dreams of candy, sports, and sad chocolate eyes.

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it?

Review and tell me!

~S.


	4. Chapter 4

__

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Everything you recongize belongs to J.K Rowling._

_

* * *

_

Harry woke up with groan and was about to close his eyes again when he rememberedwhat day it. That realization instantly woke him up and he quickly jumped out of bed and dashed to the bathroom.

While brushing his teeth Harry thought about the past week. While there was no sign of Blake or Zoey, he was still on edge because of their last visit, but he was slowly becoming more at ease, mostly because he had things that he needed to do.

Everyday he worked about an hour or two around Mrs. Willow house; usually doing small things like dusting/vacuuming, or sometimes working on the garden, but what was interesting was when he was done or had breaks he didn't see Aiden around at all. Only Stacy. When he thought about it, maybe too much of Stacy, but Harry took it with a grain of salt. She helped get her aunt to enroll him in the activity center, and for that he was grateful. He remembered that day clearly, and was smiling while he drifted into the memory.

**Flashback**

Harry was painting the fence when all of a sudden he heard Mrs. Willow yelling across the lawn.

"Harry! You-hoo!" She shouted. He put the paint brush and wiped some sweat of his brow before he ran over.

"Yes? What is it, Mrs. Willow?" He asked.

"Stacy said you wanted to enroll at the Burns Road Activity Center; is that correct?" Mrs. Willow asked while fanning herself. It was very hot.

"Yes madam," He answered immediately.

"Good, good. I have thought this over and decided to enroll you for Session B, which starts next Wednesday, and goes for about 3 weeks." She stated.

Harry beamed at her. "Really? Thank you so much!"

"Yes, you're welcome. It was lucky to be able to get you into one of the last places available. Anyways, the program costs a bit of money, for jerseys, equipment, and such so instead of the extra two pounds a day for your assistance around the house, I will only give you one. I hope that is alright with you?" She continued.

"Of course. Thank you so much!" He told her, building with excitement.

"No worries, child." And with that said, she went back into the cool, air-conditioned house, leaving a smiling Harry Potter in her wake.

**End of Flashback**

_What time is it?_, Harry suddenly thought. He wiped off the toothpaste on his lips and looked at the semi working clock,

_July 10, 1989 9:45 AM_

_Oh shit!_, Harry thought. He needed to be at the Willow's in 10 minutes! After putting on a shirt and a pair of his better looking shorts, he grabbing some apple slices and raced off to meet them.

OoOoOo

He made it. Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. When he looked up he saw two weird looks directed at him, before Stacy and Aiden both laughed and said hi to him. Of course Stacy's was a tad loud, and Aiden wouldn't meet his eyes. "Did you bring some extra clothes?" Stacy asked.

_Crap; he knew he forgot something! _

"Uh no. I forgot," Harry replied sheepishly.

"Hello dear. We're running a bit late so just hop in," Mrs. Willow said, pointing to the roomy car. After thanking her again, he sat in the sit directly behind Aiden, two seats away from a grinning Stacy.

A few minutes later, they were there.

After getting signed in Harry and Aiden went into the gym.

"Aiden! Who's the bloke?" A dark skinned boy about 4'7'' with brown hair, brown eyes, shouted a good 15 ft away from them.

Aiden turned to Harry, "That's Madison. I'm going to go talk to him before we start. Bye" Aiden then ran off.

Harry was floored. Why was Aiden avoiding him so much? Harry didn't know, but he was going to find out. He was about to walk over to them when someone tapped him on the back. He turned around, and saw a boy about 5 ft with blond hair and hazel eyes smiling at him.

"Hey, man. Ryan Williams. This is my second year in the program," He said, putting his hand out to shake.

Harry smiled and shook Ryan's hand, "Hey, Harry Potter. Just starting, so I'm a bit nervous"

"Great. Don't worry, it's bloody amazing here," Ryan reassured.

"I hope," Harry said. A few minutes later they heard the coach start speaking, using a very loud voice that could be heard by everyone,

"Hello. I am Coach Marks, and for the next few days we will be alternating between cricket and ultimate Frisbee. At the end of the week you will choose which one you would to participate in this session. Remember, we will work long and hard, but we will still have lots of fun. WHO AGREES WITH ME?" He shouted. Everyone screamed out "Yeah" when they heard the last part, some with more enthusiasm than others, but overall everyone was pretty excited.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" He shouted again, which followed an even louder round of cheers.

Coach grinned and clapped his hands, "Good, now on to teams. To the kids who were with me last session, get into teams! Newbie's stay here!"

Ryan's smile faltered. He stood there rooted to the spot until he heard his team-mates yelling for him to get over, so he quickly turned to Harry."I'm sorry, Harry. I have to go to my team. I'll see you later, alright?" After he saw Harry nod he raced off.

For the next few minutes Harry just looked around. There were about 11 new kids here besides him, from 8 to 13. Some tall, some short. Harry then saw Coach Marks walking back while starting to continue his speech,

"This week there will be 3 groups. Advanced, average, and basic. Once you decide which sport you want to continue, there will be only two groups, A and B. I know alot of you think you're big shots, but like I told the boys last year, you still have alot to learn. When its time to start playing, you need to be great to just get into the B groups; for the A groups you will need to be amazing. There are many kids here, and only a few spots.

Since we are in Session B we don't have an extra week to do an evaluation for each of you, so we will just do some basic drills like running races, jump rope, and passing to each other. Compared to what Session A had to do, this is a walk through the park. Let's get started!"

OoOoOo

Harry felt proud of himself. He ended up being the advanced group with Ryan without any hesitation from the coach. Aiden was in the average group though so he would have to talk to him later.

When all the kids were sorted, Coach wrote down who was in what group and then got everyone to come back to the center of the room.

"We will be playing cricket, starting tomorrow, for the next few days, so I will take the rest of our time to explain the game. After I explain this, you will be able to leave." After looking around to see if everyone was paying attention he continued.

"Teams are made up of 11 players each. There are two batters who stand in front of wickets, set about 20 meters apart. Each wicket consists of three wooden rods (stumps) pushed into the ground, with two small pieces of wood (bails) balanced on top. A member of the opposing team (the bowler) throws the ball towards one of the batters, who must hit the ball so that it does not knock a bail off the wicket. If the ball travels far enough, the two batters run back and forth between the wickets while the fielders on the opposing team try to catch the ball. The game is scored according to the number of runs, which is the number of times the batters exchange places."

Some of the boys still looked confused but either Coach Marks didn't see that, or he didn't care. Either way, he let everybody leave after everyone loudly agreed to be on time tomorrow.

OoOoO

After Harry grabbed his bag, he was about to try to find Mrs. Willow when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

_That seems to be becoming a _habit, Harry thought a little bit annoyed. His annoyance quickly faded when like in the morning when he saw Ryan, but this time accompanied by two adults who Harry guessed were Ryan's his parents. The man beside Ryan was very tall with brown hair, and the woman blonde and only slightly shorter than the man.

"As soon as we picked our son Ryan up, all he was doing was talking about you," The man who confirmed Harry's suspicions started.

"So we were wondering, would you like to accompany us to lunch?" The woman, Mrs. Williams, finished while smiling.

Their invitation shocked Harry; he had only known Ryan for an hour. Albeit, they _did _hit it off, but still; they barely knew eachother!

"I'm sorry, I cannot. I already have plans," Harry finally said apologetically. Ryan visibly deflated.

"It's okay lad, maybe another day," Mr. Williams said before pushing his family out the door.

"Bye Harry," Ryan said as he went out the door.

"Bye," Harry said quietly.

After they left, Harry found the Willow's talking to Coach Marks, so he stayed near the door, not wanting to interrupt. Stacy saw him though so she called him over loudly, talking over her aunt's and the coach's conversation, bringing the spotlight on him.

"Hi," Harry said rather awkwardly.

"Hello, Harry. Pamela and I were just talking about you," Coach Marks stated. _Is that what Mrs. Willow's name is?_ Harry wondered.

"Really?" Harry asked, not knowing where this was going.

"Yes. Now Harry, how would you feel about taking an evaluation with Aiden?" Coach asked. Looking between Coach Marks and Mrs. Willow, Harry knew it wasn't really a choice.

"Sure," Harry said finally.

"Great!" Coach Marks clapped, "We'll start in 10 minutes, get ready!" Then he went to talk to another parent.

A few awkward seconds later Aiden said he was going to the bathroom; leaving Harry alone with Stacy and Mrs. Willow.

Chewing his finger nails, Harry wondered what he got himself into.

* * *

An hour and a half later Harry was growling with frustration. What was making Harry so frustrated you might ask?

Firstly, he had no idea where the Willow's where. He went to get a drink of water, but when he came back Stacy and Mrs. Willow were gone, and there was still no sign of Aiden either.

Secondly, before he could begin the evaluation they needed to check his medical history. He was fine with it, thinking it would be quick, so Coach Marks got the nurses on staff to run the basic background check on Harry's medical records. 20 minutes later both Harry and Coach knew something was wrong. They had been waiting for the "Go ahead" sign but it never came.

Finally Coach went to the back to see what was happening, only to find the nurses going frantic.

Apparently, besides his birth certificate and the record of two hospital visits, there were no other charts. Harry wasn't surprised because the only times he remembered going to the doctor, was when he went to the hospital for a broken arm when he was 6, because of Vernon exploding with anger when he saw Harry next to a floating dish, and the chickenpox vaccination shots that the school made Harry get this year or he wouldn't be allowed to enter the third grade.

Harry knew he couldn't say this to Coach so he didn't say anything at all.

After a few minutes of talking to the nurses Coach Marks walked back towards him. "Potter, we won't be able to do the evaluation without medical records; so we would like to talk to your Aunt or Uncle. Do you know if they could come in tomorrow?" Coach asked.

Harry tensed, "I'm sorry sir, but they wouldn't be able to. They're out of town"

Coach Marks looked disappointed, "Can we talk to the person looking after you then?"

"No one is looking "after" me sir." Harry said uncomfortably, staring at the floor.

Coach Marks grew serious, "What do you mean "no one is looking after you"? You're not _alone _are you, Potter?"

Aiden popped up at that moment, "No! He's living with us, right Harry?" Aiden said.

Harry was confused. "What? Ow!" Aiden elbowed him and gave him a look that clearly said he better agree with him. "Oh yeah, I am" Harry said going with it.

"Why didn't you say that from the beginning? Let me just go get her-" Coach was cut off by a basketball team coming in. "Shoot," He said under his breath. "We'll have to do this next time, alright boys? Have a good afternoon"

OoOoOo

After leaving the gym and they went to find Stacy and Mrs. Willow. After a searching a good 5 minutes, Aiden finally spotted them and was about to walk over when Harry grabbed him the arm.

"What did you mean back there? I'm not living with you guys," Harry said confused.

"Well…I don't know! You looked like you were about to have a panic attack, so I, you know, just kind of blurted out the first thing that came to my mind!" Aiden said frustrated.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair nervously, "But what about your mom? She hasn't agreed to any of this!" This was not good. Not good at all.

"We'll figure something out; just relax." And with that being said Aiden walked over to his aunt and sister.

Harry followed, but still stressing over what Mrs. Willow reaction was going to be.

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it?

Review and tell me what you think!

~S.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews! This one will be longer because of them! =]

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

_

* * *

_It was actually very easy to convince Mrs. Willow to allow Harry to stay for the rest of the month. She was talking on the phone to a woman named "Martha" when they asked, and Harry could swear the only reason she agreed so easily was because she wanted them to stop talking so she could get back to her call. Either way it worked for them, and now they were on the way to Privet 4 so Harry could pick up his things.

"We're here. Harry, dear, can you please make it quick? I have a pot roast in the oven and I don't want it to get burnt." Mrs. Willow requested, hanging up from her chat with Martha.

"Yes, Mrs. Willow. I will be back in a minute," Harry said before closing the car door and walking toward the house.

When Harry got inside he ran up the stairs, and went into Dudley's bedroom.

After finding a duffel bag, he quickly left and went to his room, putting all his clothes into it. Last but not least, he put his money bag on top of the clothes.

Ever since he was 6 he had the job of cleaning and folding clothes. One day he found a 5 pound note in Vernon's pants so he had went straight to Aunt Petunia, thinking she would be proud of him for finding, and _giving back_ the money, but that was not the case. She had slapped him, and then accused him of being a thief. While struggling to not to let the tears in his eyes fall, he tried to explain to her that he **found** it, but she would not listen. Instead, she sent him to the cupboard with no supper.

Since then he had started saving up all of Vernon's loose change and putting it into a little tube sock, and now he would be able to finally use it. He was hoping he could get Mrs. Willow to take him shopping, because he certainly was not going to wear Dudley's clothes all summer.

He then remembered that they were still waiting for him, so he zipped the duffel bag and ran down stairs. Before he went to the car he remembered to lock the door; he still had to live there so he didn't want anyone to come in.

When he finally did come to the car Mrs. Willow rolled down her window, "Put the bag in the back, dear" Harry did so.

10 minutes they were at the Willow's house...Harry's temporary home.

* * *

"And this is where you'll be staying," Mrs. Willow said, pointing to . _Right between Stacy and Aiden's room, great_, Harry thought sarcastically. _Oh well, atleast I have a room.._

"Thank you, Mrs. Willow." Harry said.

"No problem, dear. We'll be having lunch in 20 minutes. Take the time to unpack."

Harry sat down on the bed and took out his poetry book but only looked at it and after 5 minutes he gave up trying to write anything so he took out his black JOURNAL, not diary, like Dudley always says, and decided to write everything that was happening and his thoughts before he forgot.

_Dear J,_

_Why do things always happen to me? _

_It started off a pretty good day, but of course something went wrong. I wasn't totally surprised because when something seems perfect, you know its not going to last. Even though I knew something was going to happen, it still shook me when it did. _

_I'm babbling, aren't I? Sorry. Anyways, the thing that messed everything up was my medical history._

_Its not **my **fault that the Dursley's don't care whether I live or die. I couldn't say that to Coach Marks so I was stuck but luckily Aiden came and helped. Now I'm staying with the Willow's! Well atleast until my family, and I say family very loosely, come back. _

_Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to go get some clothes. I'm so sick of wearing Dudley's second hand clothes. They don't even fit me, plus I actually want some clothes that are **mine**. It probably doesn't make any sense, but its just what I feel._

_So thats it so far. I promise I will write more later._

_~Harry J. Potter_

Closing his journal, Harry relaxed and layed down on the bed. He was still taking everything in when Aiden came in.

"Hi..do you like the room?" He asked.

"I love it," Or atleast what he saw of it, "Thank you"

Aiden sighed, "It's the least I could do," switching subjects quickly he asked if he saw the bathroom.

"There's a bathroom in here?" Harry asked.

"Of course. This is the second biggest bedroom in the house," Aiden said pointing and walking to the door a few feet away from the bed.

"Oh wow," Harry thought aloud.

Aiden grinned,"I know, right? You could play tennis in here"

He was certainly right. The bathroom had an atleast 7 foot in height and 10 foot wide shower. Right next to the shower was a plated gold toilet, and big marble sink, with an equally large mirror.

"Wow," Harry repeated again, clearly amazed. The bathroom at the Dursley's wasn't even half as nice, or big.

"We also have a small pool and basketball court in the back," Aiden said clearly proud.

Harry's jaw dropped. How did he not see them before?

Aiden saw Harry's face and immediately knew what he was thinking, "The reason you didn't see it was because they're hidden by the trees, and the pool is inside the mini pool house. It's kind of cool because even during the winter we'll still be able to swim"

"What? Do you have a money tree in your back yard that I don't know about?" Harry asked sarcasticly, but with an ounce of real curiosity.

"Haha, close. My aunt's been married three times. Her last husband died and left lots of money. Hey..do you..um..nevermind," Aiden said looking anywhere but Harry.

Harry rose an eyebrow. "Do I what?"

Aiden looked at him, "Do you, like, want to play some basketball? I mean you don't have-"

"Sure Aiden," Harry said with a laugh.

Aiden grinned, "Okay, lets go" Harry then followed him to the back.

When they finally got passed the trees, Harry knew what Aiden was talking about.

The outside basketball court was..beautiful? Harry didn't know the right word, but it was very impressive.

It had a blue floor, with white and bright yellow lining; brand new sparkling hoop that were triple ringed. My god, Harry was about to knee down and worship the thing.

"So, you like?" Aiden asked.

Harry snorted, "More like, I _love_"

Aiden laughed, "Whatever man. Do you want to play, or do you want keep praising court?"

"Oh shut up, lets play" Harry said laughing with him. He really liked being around Aiden. When they talked it felt refreshing; like taking a break from the world.

0o0o0

About 20 minutes later Mrs. Willow called and told them it was time for lunch. By that time they were both out of breath, but even though Harry was panting, he was also grinning. The final score ended up being in his favor; 24-16.

"Nice game, mate" Harry said.

"You too," Aiden responded. _Hmm, so maybe being chased by Dudley for years actually was good, _Harry pondered when he saw Aiden still trying to catch his breath.

* * *

Lunch was actually pretty good; it ended being pot roast with sides of mash potatoes&gravy, and colesaw, so when Stacy _wasn't_staring at him, it was very enjoyable. Aiden saw her staring too and rolled his eyes, but ever the clueless person, Harry still had no idea why Stacy was looking at him like that.

Suddenly remembering his question for Mrs. Willow, Harry swallowed his food.

"Mrs. Willow can we possibly go shopping tomorrow? I have money and need some new clothes.." He trailed off, getting embarrassed for having to ask such a question.

"Sure, dear" Mrs. Willow said

"It'll be nice to see what you look like without elephant rags on," Aiden said jokingly.

Harry blushed.

"Oh stop teasing him!" Mrs. Willow said and they all laughed. After that the conversations came out smoother and it overall was a very nice lunch.

* * *

After lunch they, [Harry, Aiden, and Stacy] decided to go up stairs.

Later they found themselves laying down and just talking; Stacy was sitting as close as possible to Harry, Harry sat on the bed moving occasionally while blushing, and Aiden sitting indian style laughing at them.

"What's this?" Stacy asked taking a blue book off of the desk.

"No, wait! That's mine! Please give it back!" Harry said desperately but Stacy swatted his hands away and pretended not to hear him.

"Ooh! Looky here! Poems!" Stacy stated, and looked through them finally picking one to recite.

"Please Stacy!-" But Stacy cut him off and danced around Aiden's arms when he tried to get the book back to Harry.

"_Even though I have reasons to cry, I don't_

_Even though I should be angry at the world, I'm not_

_Even though I am called a freak, I still am okay_

_I might be different, but I don't deny_

_I'm a little strange, but so is my life_

_Hope came to me at a random time, forcing me not to fade away_

_Random or not, I found my guardin angel, my best friend who kept me safe,_

_And as long as the world keeps spinning, I'll live to the fullest of my days_" Stacy mockingly said.

Finally Aiden snatched the book and gave it to Harry before she could read another one.

"Wow, those were awful! Haha! Weren't they Harry?" Stacy asked thinking he would agree with her.

"Can you guys please leave for a little while? Nothing personal.." Harry said quietly. As soon as he said that Aiden dragged Stacy into the Harry and closed the door but Harry could still hear them.

"What the heck, Aiden?" Stacy said.

"What the heck? WHAT THE HECK? You just called Harry's awesome poetry AWFUL! How could you do that?" Aiden screamed angrily.

"Omg! That was Harry's? Oh my god! I totally didn't mean it, It was just a joke. I have to go talk to him!" Stacy said trying to reach for the door knob but Aiden blocked her.

"Don't you dare! You already hurt his feelings. You'll just make it worse!" Aiden shouted.

"I'm sorry, Aiden! Why are you so mad?" Stacy said a little scared, but she would never admit that.

"Think! Harry's an awesome guy and you just made fun of his work!" Aiden snapped.

"Is something wrong? I thought I heard yelling." Mrs. Willow shouted from down stairs.

"Everything's fine!" He shouted down stairs. Stacy and Aiden both stared at eachother before giving a finally look, and going back to their rooms.

* * *

Later Harry asked them if he could go out for a walk, and Mrs. Willow said it was fine. Aiden and Stacy both offered to come with him but he told them no thanks.

As he walked up the hill he was thinking. He knew he wasn't mad at Stacy, but she did hurt him, so he didn't exactly want to talk to her at the moment. What really surprised him was Aiden. Why did he get so mad? How did calm Aiden explode at his sister?

When Harry broke out of his thoughts he realized he was made it to the top of the hill. He knew what he was about to do he would later regret, but he continued on, still clouded up with thoughts of what just happened in his head. He took a breath, bracing himself for what was about to happen, and finally called out,

"Zoey!"

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it?

Review and tell me!

~S.


	6. Chapter 6

__

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

_

* * *

_

"Zoey is at Master's service!" The little house elf saluted.

"Shh!" Harry said, "I need to talk to Blake. Now."

"Yes master, sir." With that she disappeared with a crack.

"I'm not going to get used to that," Harry mumbled.

"Back, master sir!" And indeed she was, holding a dizzy Blake. _He deserves it_, Harry thought.

"Ah, Hello young Harry" Blake said trying to sound okay but failing.

Harry didn't care. He went up so close to Blake that their noses we almost touching, "You are going to give me answers. Right now."

Blake smiled, and frankly it creeped Harry out. "As you wish, young Harry" Then all of a sudden he felt like he was being squeezed through a tube.

"Not bad. First time I apparated, I threw up." Blake stated.

No matter how much he wanted to sneer at the man, Harry was still on his knees gasping for air. When he finally did catch his breath, he had every intention of yelling at the man until he realized the place he was in.

"Where are we?" He asked Blake.

"Potter manor," Blake said easily, but that just set Harry off. So many thoughts and questions with weeks worth of tension does that to you.

"POTTER MANOR? Okay, buddy, this is enough! Where the heck are you getting all my things! Better yet, _how_ the hell are you getting all my LEGALLY OWNED things?

Last time you BROKE into my house and give me my supposed mother's journal, now this! And also who the hell are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know your name, if it really is your name, but I don't know you!" At that point Blake tried to cut in, but Harry was on a roll.

"By the way, what the heck is a mage? Why am I one? What did you do to me to make trust you? I know you did something, 'cause I trust you as much as I trust Dudley! And furthermore, **why** are you choosing _now _to try and tell me these things? Why not a year ago? Why not two years ago? Why now?" At the end of this Harry was panting heavily, seething with anger.

"Harry calm down-!"

"Calm down? I'm perfectly calm," Harry yelled.

"Mr. Potter, calm down; Look at what you are doing!" Blake shouted pointing at the many objects circling Harry.

When Harry saw that, all his anger faded until shock, and suddenly all the objects fell down around him.

"Thank heavens. Harry I'm truly sorry, you have every right to be mad. I promise all your questions will be answered soon," Blake said.

Even in his emotional state Harry spat out, "Get to talking. Now"

Blake sighed in defeat and started talking once again, "Yes Harry, my name is Blake. Blake Validus; and I am an elemental." At this point Harry snorted but Blake chose to ignore that.

"I have control in Water and Air." When Blake said that, Harry rose an eyebrow. Didn't water and air contradict each other? Harry turned his attention back to Blake when he realized he was still talking.

"The reason I had some Potter possessions is because I helped trained your grand dad, your father's father, to control his engery, as he was a user in Lightning. He did not have much power in the element, though. The only reason he needed to be trained was out of fear that he would hurt someone." Blake seemed far away when he recounted that. Harry coughed and Blake quickly went back to the story.

"Anyways, when the war started brewing he made me promise to help defend James and his wife, Lily Potter, so I checked up on them a few times every month when he died, in honor of his wishes.

When they went into hiding, I was getting prepared to try and find my lost kingdom so I could only check up on your parents every other month. The last time I saw your mother and father, I noticed the difference in your magic and theirs. That was October the 15th." Blake said matter-of-factly.

"The night your parents died the vow I had with your grandfather knocked me out for 6 years. When I woke up I had a feeling of what had happened, but my magic was too weak and I was unable to seek your whereabouts. I realized I would have to re-train myself before I could do anything.

As soon I was able to, I went to Godric's Hollow to check the place. And yes Harry, that's where I found your mother's book; right next to your crib. When I found Zoey, my fears were comfirmed. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I just stayed with your Father. He had offered me a place in the house.."

Blake turned and looked into Harry's eyes, "When I first saw you as a baby I knew I would have to help you in some way but I did not what. I do now. I must train you.

"I think I'm having a Star wars moment," Harry muttered.

"What?" Blake asked, completely ruining the mood.

"Nothing," Harry said, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because it is the truth," Blake said quietly.

Harry shook his head and looked at his watch, "I'll..I'll think about it. But I need to leave. The Willow's are probably getting worried; it has already been 2 hours since I left."

"No it hasn't, this room has a different use of time; it has only been 2 minutes." Blake smiled, "But still, we shall leave. Grab my hand" When Harry did so, not caring anymore, they went back to the hill they were on before.

When Harry started walking back Blake stopped him. "Here, take this," he said handing Harry a small book. _Elementa Verus by Silas Lawrence_it read. While Harry was looking at it Blake continued, "To others it will appear as any book of your choice. I suggest you pick one you have already read incase of any questions" Harry nodded and looked at the book. After taking a breath, he closed his eyes. The book shimmered and to Blake it now read the _Lord of Rings_. Harry looked at the book, then at Blake one last time, before walking away.

Blake sighed, and disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

* * *

Harry later found himself reading on the floor trying to find answers. He was starting to give up when he saw the pages to what could possibly answer the questions floating around in his head.

Wizards: Page 137

Mages: Page 139

Fairies: Page 141

Elementals: Page 143

Going to Mages he read the following entry,

_A mage is a powerful magic being, usually stronger than a witch, __**wizard**__, sorcerer or sorceress. Dark __**Mages**__ would use elemental energies for magic, i.e. Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, etc. Light __**Mages **__use healing as defensive spells. Gray Mages use both. _

_Side note: Only 20 mages have ever been reported, only one of them being a Gray Mage. _

Next he turned to elementals.

_The elementals are mischievous creatures, who are said to be so enchanting, that they can lead us into forgetfulness of our own destiny on earth. But in truth this simply means that obsession - as with anything - can tempt us to live in a fantasy world of dreams and false promises, entirely too trusting of them, leaving us unable to confront and handle our everyday lives._

Harry snorted, **That explains me trusting Blake so much when I first met him,** he thought.

_Nevertheless, contact with them is not only unavoidable, but deeply enriching and, when treated with respect and proper control, can enhance the magic of our lives through enabling us to really see and understand the power of the 4 elements that give us life; and we in turn, by our contact with these Beings, can ensure their continued existence._

Wow, that means-

"Harry! Supper is ready!" Mrs. Willow shouted, instantly cutting off his train of thought.

Harry stood up and headed down stairs slowly. Thinking about Aiden and Stacy, he knew it was going to be a very awkward dinner.

* * *

Do you like it? Do you hate it?

Review and tell me!

~S.


	7. Chapter 7

Jim Red Hawk- Basketball is also played in England, and many other countries, not just in the US. And it's okay being short; you're faster and have a better shot at fastbreaks :P

Thanks for all the other reviews! I'm sorry it's short, but I'm having a rough week :[

But anyways, onto the story!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

_

* * *

_Yawn.

Harry stumbled into the bathroom, tiredly brushed his teeth, and turned on the shower.

After rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash, he stepped into the shower.

Mhm. Warm.

After a few more minutes of soaking up the warm water, he washed his hair, then his body.

When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist then stepped out and put on the pair of clean boxers he had layed out the night before. After going into the bedroom and finding a pair of shorts, he went back into the bathroom and brushed his hair.

Or at least _tried_ to brush his hair. Giving up, he just towel dried it.

Rubbing his eyes, he went back into the bedroom and put on a shirt.

_6:45 AM_ the clock said.

Yawn.

He opened the door and walked down stairs.

Opening the refrigerator door, he pulled out ingredients, and started cooking.

When they were done, he placed the big plate of eggs next to the stacks of pancakes and put his on top of what he thought was the counter.

**_BLOODY HELL!_**

_

* * *

__8: 25 AM_

When Mrs. Willow finally came down, Harry was still nursing his burnt hand.

"Hello dear," Mrs. Willow said surprised at seeing Harry up so early. "Did you make this all by yourself?" She asked pointing to the food on the table.

"Um, yes ma'am. I'm sorry; I forgot to make you coffee. I was...delayed," Harry said looking at his hand.

Before Mrs. Willow could reply, Stacy came down the stairs.

"Mhm. Something smells good," Stacy said as she walked towards the table.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Harry made it" Mrs. Willow proudly stated.

"Really? Wow" Stacy said eyeing Harry.

Harry just blushed and mumbled something unintelligible, while Stacy was giggling.

"Are you we still going shopping today, Aunty?" Stacy asked while chewing on a pancake.

"Close your mouth," Mrs. Willow said sharply. "And yes we are," She said getting a pancake for herself. "We just need to wash up and wait until Aiden comes down."

"But I want to go now!" Stacy whined.

As if the gods heard her wants, Aiden came down.

He muttered a good morning to each them, before grabbing a plate and filling it with 3 pancakes, two handfuls of fruit, and a handful of eggs.

"Well it seems sleeping beauty has awoken," Stacy mocked, "And has an appetite"

"Whatever," Aiden replied, "And its only 8:35"

"Yeah, well, I got here at 8:30," Stacy said smugly. The only response she got was an eye roll from both Harry and Aiden.

Mrs. Willow cut in before another argument started, "Why don't you wash up while Aiden eats, Stacy" She suggested, giving Stacy a look that told her not to argue.

Stacy glared at all of them, then crossed her arms and stomped up the stairs.

Mrs. Willow smiled and continued eating her breakfast like nothing had happened, which made Harry chuckle into his orange juice.

Sudden movements in the bushes made Harry suddenly tense, but soon relaxed when he saw it was just Blake. Blake was poking his head up and down, obviously wanting Harry to come outside, but he tried ignored it. Key word; _tried_. He almost sighed when Blake finally just stood up and signaled for him to come outside or there would be pain.

"Uh, I'm going to go outside for some…fresh air. Yeah fresh air," He said and nodded as if he was trying to convince _himself_. Aiden gave him a weird look, but didn't protest and Harry was grateful. He didn't know what else he could say so as soon as Mrs. Willow said her okay, he raced out.

"What the heck were you thinking showing up at the house? Better yet, what the _hell_ were you thinking when you showed up at the window! Anyone could have seen you!" Harry said exasperated while holding his head, as if it would help the growing headache. As soon as he put one foot outside, Blake had scooped him up and portkeyed him away.

"Well, no one did. It's better than me popping into your room, so shut it," Blake said defensively which made Harry growl.

"Anyways, have you read the book?" He asked giving Harry a coin. After he saw Harry nod he said before clicking a red button, "Then we shall start training on Sunday. Have a good afternoon and keep the coin safe."

Before Harry could protest, he was already back.

Groaning he grabbed the newspaper on the front porch, and went inside, sad that he was starting to get used to this

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it?

Review and tell me!

~S.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm going to do something different so it will be a short chapter. If you like it, I will use it more. If you don't, I'll go back and stay with the original.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

**~Aiden's POV~**

Aiden was laying in bed while silently watching the sun starting to rise. He was just thinking when suddenly he stood up; he wanted to see Harry. A small part of him hoped Harry would be awake, even though Aiden knew it was far too early.

He gently opened his door and walked out into the hall. He made sure he was silent as he tip toed to Harry's door.

No one knew he was up at this time, and he wanted to keep it that way. They would ask too many questions. Questions, he wouldn't have the answers to. He didn't even know what he was doing.

Ryan, Harry's new friend, was taking up all of Harry's free time, and though he didn't want to admit it; he was worried that he had been replaced.

The moment he saw Ryan and Harry laughing together, he wanted to punch Ryan right in the face. It was a strange feeling because he had never felt such rage, jealously, or depression. _Ever_.

Not even when the police broke into their little house and took his mother away.

He shook his head; he knew if he thought about it too much it would stop him, or even worse, get him caught, so he closed his eyes and took a breath. He then opened his eyes and gently pushed open Harry's door and looked at around.

Two things caught his eye.

Harry, of course, and what it looked to be a journal on his bed.

He looked over a peaceful looking Harry, before quietly grabbing the journal.

There were several filled pages in the journal, not totally surprising because the first entry was back in late 1986. He decided to not look at any pages expect for the last one. Everyone deserved privacy, so he decided he was not going to read all the personal entries. He was already feeling guilty about looking through his journal and he hadn't even read it yet! He made himself relax, and look down on the last entry. After taking another breath he started reading.

_July 28, 1989._ **Hmm, this must be from last night, Aiden mused.**

_Dear J,_

_It's been a while since I have written in here, huh? Sorry. It's just been so busy!_

_We eventually did go shopping, but it was cut short because Mrs. Willow's friend had the flu and needed some soup. It was okay, though, because I still got some new clothes. (5 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of dressy pants, 6 t-shirts, 3 polo's, and a blue rain jacket! And only for 38 pounds!)_

_And remember the sports team issues? Well all the problems are now gone! _

_When we came back on Monday I was nervous and kept wishing they would forget and guess what! They did! Blake later explained it was accidental magic or something like that._

_I ended up deciding to play Ultimate Frisbee and I'm glad! It's so fun! I got on the "A" team, but now we are called the "Sparks". I don't know if I personally like it, but its what the team chose. _

_Anyways, the practices are brutal but it's certainly paying off! So far we've won 3 out of 4 games! That means we get to go to the play offs! Sadly both Ryan and Aiden chose cricket, so I wasn't able to play them._

_The last game is on my birthday, which is in 3 days!_

_I can't wait!_

_~Harry J. Potter_

He put the journal down. Magic? What in the world could Harry possibly mean?

Deciding to think about it later, Aiden looked down at Harry one more time before making his way back to his room.

As he did this, a blue haired elemental watched Aiden with knowing eyes.

* * *

I have not gotten any reviews lately so I'm guessing no one is reading it/you don't like it.

If you are reading this, please review and tell me what you think, somethings that could be better or things you like, and some ideas.

Thank you.

~S.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Before I start the story I want to say thank you for the reviews, Mitremlap and HiImJoeShmo! You guys made me want to continue and pushed me to write this chapter!**_

_Disclaimer: I do not the Harry Potter Universe._

_

* * *

_"Come on, Harry! YOU CAN DO IT!" Aiden screamed along with everyone in the bleachers.

Harry was_ amazing. _No one really noticed how good Harry was at Ultimate Frisbee before this game. It was as if Harry hid all his skills just to show everyone today what he could do. All Aiden could say that it worked. Everyone was cheering for him. Even parents and siblings of the _other_ team.

Harry had a perfect aim, throw, catch. Hell, he was probably the fastest player in Surrey!

Everyone was surprised. Even Coach Marks was shocked, but that didn't mean he wasn't proud. The only thing Coach wished he could change was putting Harry in the first and second half, instead of just the second half.

Coach had put Harry in only when he was desperate. At that time they were losing 19-13 but now it was 23-23 and only 40 seconds left in the game.

Matt Willis, # 6 on Harry's team, had intercepted the pass between two of the players on the other team only to find no one to pass it to! Everyone was out of reach and Harry was surrounded by big bulky guys who were sure to block or steal anything that came close to him.

When everyone started to lose hope Harry suddenly broke into a sprint and Matt, hoping someone god would have mercy and help them, pulled his arm back and passed it as far as he could.

Everyone was holding their breath now.

Would the Frisbee make it? Would Harry catch it?

With some unknown force Harry caught and threw the Frisbee into the goal one second before the time was up.

The whistle was blown and the goal recongized. Everything and everyone was silent before they all roared with victory.

They won! The Sparks won!

Everyone was trying to grab a hold of Harry and only when he was having trouble breathing did everyone let go and hug everyone else.

Finally Aiden made it up with his Aunt and gave him a high five. Aiden was about to say something when all of a sudden someone pushed him to the side.

"Oh my god! You were brilliant, Harry!" Two girls squealed and kissed his cheeks. At that moment Mrs. Willow took a picture of a blushing but grinning Harry with one girl kissing his left cheek, and the other kissing his right.

Aiden thought this was hilarious and later teased him mercilessly about how he should be lucky Stacy was at a friend's house instead of at the game.

Harry just turned an even deeper shade of red before smacking Aiden's shoulder and laughing.

This was the best birthday ever.

OoOoOo

After the game/his birthday, time flew by and soon enough his time alone was coming to an end.

Blake had started teaching Harry how to meditate, and if practicing Frisbee didn't leave Harry preoccupied, then he certainly was now.

At first the meditating was hopeless. Every sound broke Harry's focus, and even when it was silent, Harry's mind would wonder.

Finally Blake just brought in a candle with a single flame and told Harry to concentrate on it. It ended working, and soon Harry didn't even need the flame, as he was surprisingly good at clearing his mind now.

He could last an hour without losing focus, and considering that at the beginning he could only concentrate for 30 seconds, he was making excellent progress.

That is why when he was portkeyed into the manor he was shocked to find Blake knitting on the couch. It was only a week until the Dursley's come back. Shouldn't they try to work as much as possible?

"Ah, hello Harry. Come sit down, I need to talk to you." As soon as Harry sat down Blake began talking again.

"I am aware of your current grades, and I have to say I am quite shocked. You have F's in all your classes, yet you pass all your tests that allow you to move on to the next year. Care to explain?" Blake asked giving him such a sharp look, Harry was tempted to look if he was bleeding.

"Selective moments of understanding?" Harry said meekly before shaking his head. _He_ didn't even believe _himself_.

"Nice try. How about the truth?" Blake suggested.

Harry sighed. _Might as well_, he thought.

"Well, Dudley does not do very well in school, and if I do better than him, which is not very hard, the Dursley's accuse me of cheating. Cheating means punishment, and punishment means extra chores, and less food." Harry said simply.

"I knew something was off. Stupid Dursley's. As soon as you can leave, I'm going to strangle them withmy own goddamn hands," Blake said unsuccessfully trying to say it under his breath.

After taking a calming breath Blake said, "I figured something was happening, and that is why I want you to send your school a request to be put into the 5th grade"

_What? That's a grade above what I should be in!_ Harry thought before voicing his thoughts to Blake.

"You're smart, Harry. I would like to see you be challenged for once," Blake said softly.

For once, Harry didn't know what to say. After a while he settled with a quiet "Thank you".

Blake laughed before saying, "You won't be so grateful soon! _You're_ writing the letter!"

OoOoOo

Saying Harry's schedule for the next few weeks were hectic would be putting it lightly.

He had moved back into the Dursley's home a few days after his birthday so he could have some more privacy.

He liked living with Willow's but he knew his disappearances were becoming suspicious. When Blake found out about this, he created a new schedule for Harry.

After that Harry's days consisted of waking up, a morning run, breakfast, meditating and sorting his memories, lunch, tend to both his Aunt Petunia's garden and Mrs. Willow's, hand-eye coordination, dodging while reviewing what he learned in school, dinner, then finally going to bed.

Needless to say, Blake was like Harry's personal slave driver. Thankfully he lightened up when the Dursley's came back.

Harry still did all those things, just not as long and physically exhausting.

Last night he finally got his letter from the school, and he was anxious.

**Flashback**

It was around dinner time when Vernon seemed to remember something.

"**Boy**, go get the mail," Vernon shouted, not bothering to get up from watching the TV.

Harry sighed but did has he was ordered to.

The first thing he noticed was the yellow envelope with a blue crescent mark.

_The school!_ Harry remembered. _They wrote back!_

He was quick to open it, but he read slowly and savored every word written.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We were surprised, but not unpleasantly, to hear from you. _

_We have looked over your grades and sadly we do not think you will be able to work actively in the 5__th__ grade. We however will grant you the opportunity to test with the local school district and if you score accordingly you __will __be able to be put in the 5__th__ grade._

_Best wishes,_

_Dr. Lisa Brown_

Harry let out a breath of relief.

He still had a chance.

"Boy!" He heard Vernon shout again.

"Coming" He shouted back. Harry put the letter in his pocket while walking inside to give the mail to Vernon.

Harry smiled; he still had a chance.

**End of Flashback**

Harry was still thinking about the test, and if he was going to make it, when he heard a knock on the window.

Who could it possibly be?

* * *

Review if you like it; Review if you hate it, heck review if you just like the font!

Reviews keep me and the story going!

~S.


	10. Chapter 10

As you might have noticed, I have changed the story's chapters up a bit. I realized the story's chapters dragged on too much so I put some chapters together, deleted some unnecessary paragraphs, and rechecked my sentences. I hope it does not drag as much now.

One last thing, my replies to the reviews of last chapter are at the bottom. Now on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe.

* * *

Harry went to his window and what he saw surprised him more than an alien salsa dancing. _Well_, Harry thought, _maybe not __**that**__ much_.

It was Ryan, and he was holding 3 balloons and a slice of cake while wearing a "Happy Birthday" hat.

"Hi Harry" Ryan greeted, "Can I come up?"

Harry instantly looked around. _How did Ryan think he was going to get up here?_ He thought. There was nothing to help Ryan climb up, and Harry knew the Dursley's wouldn't allow Ryan to come through the door to see him.

"Sure" Harry finally said, "But I don't know how you'd be able to get up here."

Harry could tell Ryan was trying not to grin when he asked, "You doubt the awesomeness that is me?"

"No, it's just-" Harry said quickly before getting cut off by Ryan.

"Just take these," Ryan said while thrusting the cake and the balloons in Harry's hand.

After Harry put them down, he turned around to see a smiling Ryan.

"Wha-How?" Harry was at a loss of words. How the heck did Ryan get up here, let alone so fast?

"I'm good at jumping," Ryan simply said before changing the subject.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to the game, and I'm even sorrier I couldn't say happy birthday to you," He continued, looking around the room before turning back to Harry.

"So I was hoping I would be able to make it up to you today" Ryan said, finally getting to the point.

"You really don't have to." Harry said truthfully. Ryan just saying Happy Birthday to him was enough.

"But I _want_ to. You're my best friend and I owe it to you!" Ryan said almost like he was pleading.

"Okay," Harry sighed. He really didn't understand why this meant so much to Ryan, but he didn't want Ryan to feel like he "owed" him anymore.

"Great! Let's go!" Ryan said with so full of excitement Harry had to smile back.

_Hmm..._Harry thought.

"What kind of cake is this?" He asked Ryan while smiling evilly.

"Triple chocolate," Ryan said confused, "Why?"

"No reason," Harry said before grabbing the cake and heading down stairs with Ryan in tow.

Finally Harry spotted what he was looking for. Dudley.

He walked slowly towards Dudley as if stalking his prey.

"Hey Dudley. Is Aunt Petunia or Vernon home?" Harry asked casually.

"No. What's it to you freak? Want to cry about your dead mummy and daddy?" Dudley asked snidely, never taking his eyes off the TV.

Harry took this in stride, but out of curiosity looked to see what Ryan's reaction would be. Confusion and anger were written all across Ryan's face and Harry knew he would have to tell him what Dudley was talking about later.

"Not today, Dudders. Maybe next weekend if I'm not busy," Harry retorted calmly.

Dudley's face immediately turned an interesting shade of red but before he could say, or more likely yell something, Harry continued talking.

"Now, now. I didn't come here to argue. I came down here to discuss a potential gain for both you and me."

It was quiet for a moment before Dudley grunted out, "What is it?" then added "Freak" just to try to get a reaction out of Harry.

Harry already saw this coming and pretended like he didn't hear the offending word.

"Well," Harry drawled out. "I was thinking that if you help us out you can have this beautiful cake." Harry finished while moving the slice of cake under Dudley's greedy eyes.

Dudley eventually tore his eyes from the cake but when he looked in he was fighting an internal battle. Finally it seemed greed won out and with a clenched jaw he barked out, "Fine. What is it?"

"I just need you to distract your parents if they ask for me," Harry said as if it was easiest thing in the world. After seeing Dudley's confused look Harry slowly explained,

"If Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon come home before I return, do not say anything about me being gone. If they ask for me, tell them you made me go fetch something. Be creative. Can you agree to this?"

Dudley immediately scoffed and said, "Of course I can! It's a deal, freak!"

Harry smirked, "Good. I'll give you half the slice now, and when I get back I'll give you the other piece. If I get into trouble however, I will not give you the second piece. Get it? Got it? Good." With that Harry left and pulled a very confused Ryan along with him.

Harry was going to have a great day; no if's, and's, or but's. It was going to happen.

Whether Fate wanted it to or not.

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Sorry that it's so short, but still review! Give suggestions! Maybe it will help destroy horrible case of writers block!

Also:

sachaelle- The "J" he is referring to is "Journal". Kind of a spin off on the whole "Dear Diary" thing.

Lillikins, happylady- Thanks for reviewing!

~S.


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